The Archaeology of Early Springfield April 8, 2009

Floyd Mansberger of Fever River Research will discuss archaeological investigations conducted over a four-year period at the site of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. This work uncovered numerous subsurface features that help to illustrate the lifeways of the Capitol City's early citizens. Approximately 125 privy pits, ranging in age from the 1830s through the 1930s, were excavated as part of this project. The presentation will discuss the value of these deposits to historical archaeologists and social historians and will review several of these dating between 1830 and 1860. The data from these features documents the high-status quality of life, as well as the dynamic changes in manufacturing, marketing, and availability of consumer goods in the United States between 1830 and the later 1860s.